auchmeddan

We finally got the last of our shipped items yesterday. It’s taken a couple of months to get here, but everything turned up in one piece and Jules unpacked our boxes today. This is the first time in 6 years we’ve had all our belongings in one country.

We went out last night to see “Casino Royale” and were shocked at how good it was. I really wasn’t expecting much from it (or the new Bond) but it looks like I was very wrong. After the horror-show of “Die Another Day” it appears the franchise is back.

For our first movie going experience in NZ we used the Gold Lounge at Reading Cinema which is full of reclining seats, free popcorn and sodas, and unobstructed views of the screen. They also let you order drinks at the bar and set times for them to bring them to your seat. It was definately nice having beers turn up at set intervals, but I think in future I’ll order spirits to keep the liquid content down.

….and it blows. Literally.

Today is the first day of summer in NZ, and it’s been cold, windy and rainy in Wellington today. Just to cheer me up even more I took a look at Ondrej’s website and saw that he’s been diving with Eagle Rays and Octopus.

I’m very jealous. I need a dive holiday.

Just added a world times sidebar entry to the blog, showing the time and date in New Zealand, Edinburgh, and Bermuda.

Credit goes to the guy over at neotrinity who wrote this.

For the first time since January, Jules will be in paid employment as of tomorrow. Hooray!!

Jules working will not just have an impact on us, but also on the pair of ducks that live around our apartment block. Jules has been feeding them bread and muesli every day, and I think they have come to expect these regular handouts now. We spotted them outside this morning hanging around the grounds and when we opened our kitchen window to throw some bread out we almost ended up with the female in our kitchen. I guess she was hungry since she flew up to us as soon as she realised food was on it’s way.

We’ve also finally got around to uploading a few photos of our apartment today. They are available here.

For now, here’s a photo of me playing the Xbox 360 on our lovely 50″ TV.

We finally have broadband access at home again! Hooray!

Not having internet at home is incredibly hard for me, especially as very restrictive policies at work mean I can’t check personal email there.

We will start updating the blog and responding to emails again shortly.

I start work on Tuesday for Axon Computer Systems in Wellington, and We found an apartment near George and Emma which we move into this weekend. We went out yesterday and bought some essentials for the place - fridge, bed, etc. It’s the first time we’ve owned furniture since 2000, so it was a strange experience to be in a store choosing appliances, especially since we took out Credit for some of the appliances (which is shockingly easy to get).

We’ll update some photos once we move in.

After 4 flights (two of which were delayed) and around 40+ hours of travel we arrived safely in New Zealand yesterday. We’re both a little tired, jet-lagged, and still getting our heads around the fact this is not a vacation, but so far things are OK and we feel fine.

Now we need to get down to the serious stuff of finding jobs, a place to live, and starting this new life properly. Fortunately, we have George and Emma here to help guide us in this. It certainly makes things easier.

Having been among the last people on Earth to read “The Da Vinci Code” I was very interested when Jules suggested we take a trip out to Rosslyn Chapel before we we left. Jules, my mum, and myself headed out there this week and spent a fascinating couple of hours wandering around and taking pictures. The Chapel isn’t a large building, but it has so many points of interest and incredible carvings that I wasn’t prepared to leave until I’d burned out my camera battery.

If you ever get the chance to go take a large memory stick and spare batteries!

A couple of pics below from the Chapel - The Green Man, and the Apprentice’s Pillar.

Jules and myself took some time last week to get around a few places we wanted to see before we go. We managed to get in a climb up the Scott Monument, a walk past the Art Gallery, up through Lady Stairs Close and on to see the tribute to Greyfriars Bobby, a visit to Bobby’s grave in the cemetary, and a quick trip through the National Museum of Scotland. By the time we’d finished we were tired and hungry, so we ended up with a good lunch (and a couple of beers for me) in a bar on the Mound.

We ended up the night out with friends and came second in the pub quiz before getting home and eating re-heated Haggis around 2AM. Does it get any better than this?

Photos below of Bobby, and the view from the Scott Monument overlooking the Castle and the Art Gallery.

We are definately into our final days of catching up with people now. We just saw someone that we haven’t seen since 2002, and my aunt and uncle called from Canada tonight to have a quick chat and wish us well. Have a few more nights to organise, then we’re off. I’m sure we’ll both be wiped out by the time we get to NZ.

Managed to get down to Easter Road on Sunday with Malc to watch the Hibs vs Rangers game, and was very happy I went! I think I’m a good omen for the team as I’ve been to ‘the Leith San Siro’ twice this year and both games have been 2-1 victories. Having been to the Hibs supporters bar before and after the game I was in a very good mood Sunday night, but unfortunately my luck didn’t extend to the Miami Dolphins who suffered an embarassment at the hands of the Bills and notched up their 2nd defeat in a row.

Oh, and I’m taking the fact that both Hibs goals were scored by Kiwi Striker Chris Killen as a good omen.